Although the order isn’t officially set, Georgia head baseball coach Scott Stricklin said Thursday he knows what three pitchers will make up his starting rotation for next weekend’s opening series against the College of Charleston.
“Kevin Smith, Tony Locey and Chase Adkins are going to be the three guys that open the weekend,” Stricklin said. “The guys who are on the cusp are Blakely Brown and Andrew Gist, both have thrown very well, but we’re going to go with those other three guys, and we’ll let them know either (Thursday) or tomorrow what that order might be.”
Either Smith or Adkins appear to be the favorite to start the season-opener, set for Friday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.
A 6-foot-5 lefty, Smith bears a pitching resemblance to former Bulldog and current Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Alex Wood. Last year, the former Dunwoody standout made seven starts for Georgia, going 5-1 with a 3.91 ERA and finished the season with a streak of 14.1 scoreless innings over his final six relief outings.
“These last few weeks, he has really picked it up,” Stricklin said of Smith. “Coach (pitching coach Fred) Corral and him had a talk just about, hey, if you want to be the Friday night guy – they all want to be the Friday night guy – there are certain things you have to do, certain ways to act.”
Apparently that message was received.
“He’s a great kid, a really good student, we’ve never had any issues with him... But, these last few weeks, we’ve seen a little different Kevin Smith, which is a positive thing,” Stricklin said.
If not Smith, then Adkins figures to get the Friday night call.
Last year at Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Adkins posted an 8-2 record with a conference-best 1.81 ERA in 15 appearances to lead the Pirates to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Prior to playing at Chattahoochee, the right-hander spent two years at Coastal Carolina, going 2-8 in 24 games there with an ERA of 3.99.
“Even though it was at the Junior College level, he pitched at Coastal Carolina and was in the rotation a few years ago when he got hurt. He can really pitch. He’s really crafty, but he can pitch in the low 90s and has a really good slider,” Stricklin said. “Our hitters are really having trouble with his slider. He can throw it at any time. But he’s got a lot of confidence; just the way he carries himself, he’s awfully good. We’ve been very happy with him.”
The freshmen Locey, who threw five scoreless innings in a recent intrasquad game, promises to bring a little attitude to the mound for the Bulldogs to go along with a talented right arm.
“Tony does not lack confidence. The guys chuckle about him, but that’s what makes him who he is and that’s what makes him really good,” Stricklin said. “You look at guys who are becoming big-leaguers. They’re big leaguers because they’re talented, but they’re also big leaguers because they believe they’re big leaguers. And Tony believes that. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s got big things ahead of him.”
NOTES: Junior College transfer Will Campbell was back at practice Thursday after missing two days with the flu. Otherwise, Stricklin said his team is relatively healthy. “When you instrasquad, you do so coming off Christmas break, you’re going to have some bumps and bruises,” he said. “We’ve got a hamstring, we’ve got a lower back, and a shoulder, but they’re all position players. Everyone is fine and we should be 100 percent barring anything happening the next week, and we should be fine for next Friday.” … The SEC released its preseason baseball poll on Thursday and the Bulldogs were picked by the league coaches to finish in a tie with Kentucky for fourth in the SEC East. Florida was picked to win the East and LSU the West.
